Universal dental extraction forceps

ABSTRACT

Dental extraction forceps which are adjustable to provide fitted contact with the surface of a tooth include pivotal handles, each having a tooth-engaging jaw. At least one of the tooth engaging jaws carries an adjustable beak which is pivotally connected to the jaw and which has a tooth-engaging surface which can be positively moved into fitted contact with a tooth surface by means of an adjusting screw.

0 United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,754,331

Agnone Aug. 28, 1973 UNIVERSAL DENTAL EXTRACTION FQRCEPS PrimaryExaminer-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever {76] Inventor:Frank A. Agnone, 327 N.

Washington Ave., Scranton, Pa. Anomey Robert wlulams [22] Filed: June12, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 261,634 [57] ABSTRAQT [52] US. Cl. 32/62, 32/40Dental extraction forceps which are adjustable 10 P 511 lm. c1 A6lc 3/10vide fined Contact with the surface of a moth include 53 Field of Search32/62, 40 R; 81 /5.1, pivotal h each having a tooth-engaging j M 31413423 R, 427 least one of the tooth engaging jaws carries an adjustablebeak which is pivotally connected to the jaw and 5 R f r n it d whichhas a tooth-engaging surface which can be positively moved into contacta tOOth surface 2,5 83,896 1/1952 Siebrandt 81/425 R means adjustmgFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 4 Claims 3 Drawing Figures 468,9604/1927 Germany 1. 32/62 UNIVERSAL DENTAL EXTRACTION FORCEPS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the extraction of teethduring dentistry or oral surgery. The invention more particularlyrelates to a novel pair of dental extraction forceps.

The extraction of teeth is an ancient art, but it has not been until themid-19th century that it has been relatively easy to extract teethwithout injury to the jaw or to other teeth surrounding the one beingextracted. It has been known that the tooth-engaging surfaces ofextraction forceps should fit or conform to the tooth being extractedfor best results. To this end, forceps have been expecially designed tofit various types of teeth, that is the tooth-engaging jaws of theseforceps have been shaped to fit teeth of different types, such as oneshape for the relatively flat incisors, another shape for the broadlarger molars, and so forth.

The crowns of teeth vary widely in size and shape. They vary in shapeand size according to their primary utility, i.e., those used forcutting, the incisors, are flat and relatively sharp, while those usedfor chewing, the molars, are broad and flat. Moreover, tooth crowns varyin size with the age of the patient. On eruption, the crown of a toothcomprises only 33 to 48 percent of the length of the tooth. As thepatient ages, attritive processes such as abrasion mail-occlusion,bruxism, and even normal mastication wear away the tooth enamel,changing the size and shape of the crown. At the same time, the rootlength remains the same, so that with an older patient, the dentist isat a great disadvantage.

Another important consideration is the fact that the crown surface isenamel, the hardest tissue in the human body, resembling porcelain. Thematerial used to make dental instruments is usually hard steel.Consequently, when an extraction is performed, two hard surfaces must bebrought into forceful contact. It often happens that, when the forcepsare applied to the crown of the tooth to be extracted, concentrated,unbalanced forces are applied to the tooth and occasionally the toothcrown breaks, leaving the root portion in place and making the job ofextracting the root portion extremely difficult. Cost is another seriousproblem since many different tools have been required.

One solution to these problems has been to provide a pair of forcepswith tooth engaging jaws which include beaks which are moveable into afitted relation with the surface of the tooth. See, for example, thepatent to Jacob, US. Pat. No. 631,224, issued Aug. 27, 1901 in which abeak is pivotally attached to one or both jaws of a forceps. While thisforceps may operate satisfactorily, forceps of this kind have notappeared on the market and have not been used. The reason why suchforceps have not been used is not known, but it is believed that evenwith the pivotal beak ofJacob, force may not be applied evenly to thetooth surface. The mere act of bringing the jaws of the forceps intocontact with the tooth will certainly cause the adjustable beak of theJacob forceps to move into somewhat fitted engagement with the crown ofthe tooth; however, the force applied to the tooth by the tool is stilldirected only through the pivot of the movable beak. Consequently, theapplied force will be distributed evenly over the tooth surface only ifthe pivot pin happens to be centrally located with respect to the crown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toimprove the art of tooth extraction by providing a tool in which thedanger of breaking the crown of a tooth is substantially reduced.

It is another object of the invention to provide a pair of dentalextraction forceps which can be applied to teeth of many differentshapes and sizes, while providing a relatively good fit with each.

These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished bymeans of dental forceps which have at least one adjustable beak on thetooth-engaging jaws thereof. The adjustable beak is pivoted to turnabout an axis which is parallel to the normal axis of pivoting of thehandles and a means is provided for positively adjusting the position ofthe beak around this axis and retaining it in an adjusted position inwhich it closely fits the surface of the crown of the tooth to beextracted. The present forceps eliminates the need for a variety ofdifferent forceps which has heretofore been necessary to accommodate alldifferent shapes and sizes of teeth.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the present novel dentalextraction forceps.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present novel forceps, illustrating theconfiguration of the adjustable beak.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing the details of thepivotal beak.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present novel forceps are indicated in thedrawings generally by the reference numeral 10. The forceps 10 arecomprised of a pair of handle sections 12 and 14, which may beconventionally shaped and which are connected together for pivotalrelative rotation by means of a pin to. The handle section 12 carries ajaw 18 and the handle section 14 has a jaw 20 on the side of the pivotpin l6 opposite from the handle ends of the handle section i2 and M. Therelative sizes of the handle and jaws relative location of the pivot H6may all be substantially the same as in conventional forceps.

The novelty in the present forceps lies in the construction of thetooth-engaging parts of the forceps. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the jawslb and 20 are each provided with an adjustable tooth-engaging beak, 22and 24 respectively, which are similarly constructed. The beak 22 on thejaw 18 is pivotally attached to the jaw 18 by means of a pivot pin 26arranged so that the beak 22 may pivot about an axis which issubstantially parallel to the main axis of pivoting of the handleelements 12 and 34 about the pin to. Similarly, the beak 24 on the jaw20 is pivotally attached by means of a pin 28. As described thus far,the forceps are much the same as the forceps shown in the Jacob patentrefered to above. However, in the present novel forceps, the beak 22 and24 are positively adjustable with respect to the jaws l8 and 20.

The positive adjustment of the beaks 22 and 24 is provided by a pair ofadjusting screws 30 and 32 The screw 30 is threadedly engaged with thejaw 18 and extends through the jaw 18 from the outside of the forceps toengage the beak 22 at a location spaced inwardly from the pivot pin 26.At its point of contact with the beak 22, the screw 30 engages the beak22 by means of a ball and socket joint 34, so thatinward and outwardmovement of the screw 30 will act positively to move the beak 22 aboutthe pin 26. The screw 32 is similarly threadedly engaged with the jaw 20and engages an inward portion of the beak 24 in a ball and socket joint36. See especially the partial sectional view of FIG. 3.

The use of the adjustable beak on both of the handle elements 12 and 14is a preferred construction. The adjustable beak may be used on only oneof the handle elements if desired to achieve the improved results of thepresent invention.

The inner surfaces 38 and 40 respectively, of the beaks 22 and 24 areshaped to accommodate a tooth of average dimension. Differences in theprecise shape of various teeth may then be accommodated by the presentnovel forceps in the following manner.

In using the present novel forceps, the extracting physician firstapplies the forceps to the teeth in a testing manner to determine whatadjustment is required. Having done this, he observes the inner edges 38and 40 of the beaks 22 and 24 and then manipulates the screws 30 and 32until each of these surfaces contacts the tooth at as many contactpoints as is possible. As discussed above, teeth are irregularly shaped,so that the contact between the forceps and the tooth will usually beover a series of spaced apart points. Having thus made the adjustment,the extracting physician may then apply pressure to the handle elements12 and 14 to grip the tooth, after which he may apply the extractingforce.

The adjustment of the beaks 22 and 24 to bring them into contact with asmany of the irregular points of contact as is possible for a given toothresults in a distribution of the force applied by the forceps over thesurface of the tooth, thus substantially reducing the danger of breakingthe crown. In contrast to prior forceps with adjustable beaks, thepositive adjustment of the present adjustable beaks provides forstability of the tool and for a relatively even, constant force on thetooth. With these improvements, substantially safer extractions can beperformed.

What is claimed is: 1. Dental forceps adjustable to provide asubstantial degree of contact with the surface of a tooth comprisingpivotally connectedhandles, each terminating in a jaw, at least one ofsaid jaws having a beak having a tooth-engaging surface,

means pivotally connecting said beak to said handle for movement aboutan axis parallel to the pivot axis of said handle, and

means acting between said jaw and said beak for positively adjusting theposition of said beak with respect to said handle to bring said toothengaging surface into fitted contact with a tooth.

2. Dental forceps as defined in claim I, wherein said positive adjustingmeans comprises a screw threadedly engaged with said jaw and extendinginto engagement with said beak.

3. Dental forceps as defined in claim 3, wherein said screw engages saidbeak by means of a ball and socket joint.

4. Dental forceps as defined in claim 3 wherein each of said jaws has apivotally connected, positively adjustable tooth-engaging beak.

* I t I!

1. Dental forceps adjustable to provide a substantial degree of contactwith the surface of a tooth comprising pivotally connectedhandles, eachterminating in a jaw, at least one of said jaws having a beak having atooth-engaging surface, means pivotally connecting said beak to saidhandle for movement about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of saidhandle, and means acting between said jaw and said beak for positivelyadjusting the position of said beak with respect to said handle to bringsaid tooth engaging surface into fitted contact with a tooth.
 2. Dentalforceps as defined in claim 1, wherein said positive adjusting meanscomprises a screw threadedly engaged with said jaw and extending intoengagement with said beak.
 3. Dental forceps as defined in claim 3,wherein said screw engages said beak by means of a ball and socketjoint.
 4. Dental forceps as defined in claim 3 wherein each of said jawshas a pivotally connected, positively adjustable tooth-engaging beak.